Auckland joins rest on level 2 from Monday

Auckland has taken a hit under COVID-19 alert level 3 restrictions which are due to go to level 2 to match the rest of the country on Monday August 31.

EV and other vehicle dealerships can reopen in Auckland from that date, while following social distancing, contact tracing, and hygiene rules, and gatherings are generally restricted to a maximum 10 people under the level 2 restrictions announced by prime minister Jacinda Ardern.

Masks will be mandatory from August 31 on public transport – including Uber and similar shared ride services, while all businesses must continue displaying the COVID tracer QR code.

Auckland’s movement in level 3  is down 43% in key economic areas (workplaces, grocery, pharmacy, retail and recreation) compared with New Zealand’s 20% drop in level 2 in those areas, and Auckland’s light traffic is down 42% with heavy traffic down 10%, according to the latest ASB Bank economic weekly estimate.

Throughout the rest of the country, heavy traffic looks largely unaffected and light traffic is only down 6-10%.

Card spending has dropped, with the average weekly spend of ASB cardholders down 16% (week ended August 22) compared to the average weekly spending a fortnight ago, prior to the discovery of the latest outbreak, ASB senior economist Jane Turner says.

Meanwhile, electricity demand appears largely unchanged, the report suggests.

The contrast between light and heavy traffic, card spending vs electricity usage, highlights that the brunt of the impact from the current restrictions is borne by the services industries, Turner adds.

The alert levels will be reviewed again on Sunday September 6.